About the artist

Meet the Artist

This is a photograph of me at my favourite local beach, going wild swimming with my bodyboard. We love pitching the beach tent in the early morning, before it gets too busy. There is a real sense of healing and power in the sea for me. It is always a spiritual experience, even when the waves are rough and I am unceremoniously dumped back on the sand, upside down.

Planning for my upcoming retirement, I knew that I wanted to prioritise my wellbeing. This would include more time experiencing nature in its many forms.

But it was only when I actually retired and had a clearer headspace, that I realised I wanted to do art, and not just wanted to do it, but I NEEDED TO DO ART.

So I am undertaking professional lessons on very enjoyable art courses. These are teaching me about the various mediums of art. In time, this will enable me to confidently paint the beauty I see all around me. Until then, this website will show my progress as I learn techniques, and gain my identity as an art student

Art at school

Whilst I liked art at school, and scraped a grade C O-Level pass, I was not very good at it. There was not much teaching available for a student in the early 1980's, who wanted to experiment with colour and shapes. It seemed all that was on offer was still life drawing, and poster paints.

I wanted to do abstract art, my early art heroes were Henri Matisse, Mark Rothko and Salvador Dali.

Back to school at 58! 

The A3 size pink art portfolio case goes with me to art lessons.  I am learning the skills involved in working with graphite drawing, soft and hard pastels, water colour, gouache, acrylics, print making, charcoal and gold leaf. I need to keep learning so that the work I want to produce, of wildlife and coastal landscapes, can be achieved.